Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

You thought you knew the story of the The Three Little Pigs” You thought wrong.

In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of The Three Little Pigs.”

In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version of what really happens during his encounter with the three pigs . Smith's simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale.”

Childrens Literature

Older kids (and adults) will find very funny.”

School Library Journal

Synopsis

In this hilarious tale of justice gone awry, poor Alexander T. Wolf has been framed and wants to let the truth be known. "Witty illustrations get right to the meat of the matter. . . . A tasty treat".--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Full color.

Synopsis

A spoof on the three little pigs story, this time told from the wolf's point of view. Lane Smith also illustrated Hallowe'en ABC which was one of The New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year.

Synopsis

A contemporary classic celebrates its 25th birthday.

Twenty-five years in the Big House and A. Wolf is still sticking to his story: he was framed! As for that huffing and puffing stuff? A big lie. A. Wolf was just trying to borrow a cup of sugar to make his poor old granny a birthday cake.

Who should you believe, the pigs or the wolf? You read. You decide.

A quarter-century after publication, with over two million copies sold, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs remains as funny as irreverent as the inventive minds of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. Viking is celebrating this landmark anniversary with a handsome gift edition, featuring a stunning new jacket with lots of silver. And there's a surprise inside as well!

About the Author

From the desk of Lane Smith:

"A lot of reviewers have misidentified my technique as airbrush or dyes or even egg tempera. I think this is because it almost looks as if it was sprayed with paint with little dots of color and texture visible. Actually, my work is rendered in oil paints. I paint on board, building up several thin glazes of the oil, sealing them between coats with an acrylic spray varnish. This not only dries the oil instantly, but also causes a chemical reaction between the oil and the acrylic. Normally, it would be a mistake to combine two opposites like this and in fact it was a mistake the first time I did it, but I liked the results. I'm a big fan of artists who play with surfaces. I love texture and grunge. The trick is to know when to stop. Sometimes I keep adding more and more layers until I've ruined the piece. Usually I stop when the painting starts to look interesting. Then I go in with a fine brush and add details, lights and darks, etc. It's a laborious process, but it's unpredictable and it keeps me interested and surprised. Of course, I'm influenced by other illustrators too, like N.C. Wyeth, Maurice Sendak, Arthur Rackham, Edward Lear, Gustav Dore and Tomi Ungerer. I hope I can follow the path these dark illustrators have walked, or at least use the sidewalk that runs alongside it."

Kids Q&A

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating 5 (1 comments)

This is a hilarious rendition of The Three Pigs. In fact you can see kids thinking about how this story "got so turned around". Helps them wrap their heads around there's 2 sides or more to every story and about lying and deception.